Stock straightener



y 1954 J. H. FRIEDMAN 2,684,706

STOCK STRAIGHTENER Filed July 9, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR. JOHN H FA /[OMAN ATTORA/E Y5 July 27, 1954 Filed July 9, 1949 J. H. FRIEDMAN 2,684,706

STOCK STRAIGHTENER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. JOHN H. FRIEDMAN ATTORNEYS y 1954 J. H. FRIEDMAN 2,684,706

STOCK STRAIGHTENER Filed July 9, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 TRAVEL IN VEN TOR. JOHN H. FRIEDMAN IL ATTORNEYS Patented July 27, 1954 STOCK "STRAIGHTENER John H. Eriedman, ilifiin, .Ohio, assignor toThe National ,Machinel y Company, Tiflin, \Qhio, ,a

corporation of Ohio Application July-'9, 1943,"Seria-l-'N0. "103,871 :3 Claims. (01. 153-320 This invention relates to apparatusior straightening the end portionof coiled rod, bar or :Wire stock.

Many high-production machines and machine tools such as forgingmachines, headinginachines, screw machines, andturret lathes work or fabricate pieces from rod bar, or wire stock, and in some instances such stock is received in coiled -form and fedinto the-machine. Certainofthese machines rely upon feed tubes to receive and straighten the stock, an-dot-hers may be :fi-tted with auxiliary stock straightening devices that continuously straighten the stock until the coil is exhausted, an example of the latter type of apparatusbe'ing disclosedin the patentto Fr-iedman, 2,2-1958'1-1. Regardless-of whether the :meta'h working machine is provided with a straightener as shown in the aforesaid patent or whether it merely provided with a feed tube that straight ens the stock as-it isconsumedwhen coiled-stock is provided his usually necessary that the initial or free end portion oithecoiledstockbe straightened before-it is fed tothe machine. :It has-been customary to hand straighten the tree end .of such coiled stock, but this is a time-consuming operation, it may :not produce perfectly straight -stock,-and when'large diameter rod is employed the operation is difficult tosperform. The problem =i-s further complicated by the fact that the larger diameter stock (the most difficult to straighten) is coiled in relatively short lengths dictated 'by handling-and weight oonsideration,-the result be- =ing that with heavy stock the straightening operation 'must be performed more often than with light stock.

principal object of this invention :is to accurately and=quicklystraighten an end portion of coiled stock of any diameter normally encountered 'ihy simple apparatus readily controlled by the operator.

It is.a iurtherobjeot of the invention to-pro- "vide an"apparatus for straightening the end turn 'of a-coil of stock-and'advancing thestraightened end turn into a header without removing :the coil "oistocl: fromthe apparatus and to-oarry outsuch straightening and advancing operations by 115 -draulic means.

Further obj cots-and advantages relating to efiicient manipulation of the [coiled stock and :the elimination of time consuming manual operations will appear from the following description and the appended drawings wherein Fig. 1 plan view, with pa-rtsbrokenaway, showing the stock straightening and guiding .apparatus of the invention Fig. 2is a-sectiona'l viewshowing the stock=support and the stock grip apparatus employed to "align and guide the straightened -free end of the stock-to the header and -Fig.' 3 isanelevation withparts in'section showing the apparatus for straightening the free end other machine using the stock,

other machine (not shown).

support the stock drums .D and D-i of the coil ofvstock prior to advancing the same into the header.

The Y apparatus of :the invention comprises generally a rectangular frame having a reciprocab'le drum carriage mounted :on :the frame for movement toward and away from the header or other machine for which the stock is intended. One side of the frame is provided with a stock straightening apparatus-arrangedto grip the free end of a coil :01 stock and hold :the same fixed in space while the drum carriage moved away from the gripped end so as to unwind and straighten-the free end of the coil of stock. The other side of :the frame is provided with a vertic-ally and laterallyadjustable'grip head arranged to i 'eoeive'and hold the unwound and straightenedportionor" the stock and move the saine'into alignment with the opening "in the header .or The includes a hydraulic system having valves and cylinders arranged to leilect movement of the parts of the apparatus so as :to carry out the gripping, straightening and advancing operations.

Referring to :the drawings, the frame indicated at FinFig. 1 comprises a pairoi I beamsi ii spaced from eachother and arranged generally in alignment with the feed opening in the header or A carriage, indicated generallyatC, ismounted-to move longitudinally-oi the frame by means of rollers :l-JZ

pivoted on the carriage at each corner thereof and arranged to =ride on the horizontal flanges of the I beams Ill-i0. Rollers ii, carriedateaeh corner of "the -.carriage, are pivoted thereon on vertical axes and are arranged to bear against the web portions l 8a ofthe l beams so as to guide theoarriage laterally:in itstravel. t one end of the frame F tright-hand end in Fig. '1) ,-a frame cross member lilb is providedwith longitudinally extending channels I arranged to support a transverse pin =l la on which is pivoted, by means of brackets 46, ahydraulic cylinder 33. Thecylinder l 3-is a double-acting hydraulic cylinder and the piston rod l4 thereof is secured to the carriage C so that actuation of-the hydraulic cylinder l3 moves the carriage C towardand-away from the header or other machine usingthe stock.

The carriage 0 includes (as shown in Fig. 2) a platform It upon which is mounted apedestal ii havinga horizontal ,fiange or table 19a that .is centrally apertured toreceivea vertically disposed pintle Zlla of the stock drum support 20. The drum :supportZil has Lfixed thereto apair-of spaced bosses 2i ,tolreceive thedrum support shaft 22 which projects transversely of the frame to Thestock support drums are each :provided with .an inside -fiange I2 1 adjacent the 'bosses 2! and aresopro- --stock coil that the inner end of the stock coil bears against the flange 21 and the axis of the stock coil is maintained parallel with the supporting shaft 22 even though the diameter of the stock coil greatly exceeds the diameter of the supporting drum as illustrated in Fig. 3.

To facilitate the mounting of a stock coil on the drum, the retaining pins 23 at the outer end of the drum are mounted so as to be turned 90 degrees and pocketed inside of the drum. Pivoted brackets 2C1 slidably receive the pins 23 and an expansion spring 25 is placed about the inner end of each of the pins 23 and is retained on the end of the pin 23 by nut or the like 23a. The bracket 23a is apertured as at 241) in alignment with a pin slot in the drum to receive a reduced inner end portion of the pin 23. The pin 24, being slidably held in the bracket 24, permits a limited radially outward movement of the pin 23 so as to withdraw the reduced end portion from the opening 24b and the bracket 24a. When the pin is thus released from the bracket 26a, it may be turned with the pivoted bracket 2t and slid inwardly into the pocket provided within the drum as best shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. With all of the pins 23 thus stored within the drum a full coil of stock, such as coil W-l may he slid axially upon the drum and thereafter the pins moved to full line position of Fig. 1 to hold the coil on the drum.

A channel ltc extends laterally from the main frame it parallel to the end frame member iiib and said members it?) and 120 are secured to each other by a longitudinally extending frame member ltd. A similarly disposed frame member Hie extends laterally of the main frame adjacent frame member idb and is secured to the frame member iiid to provide a sub-frame or support for the stock straightening mechanism indicated in its entirety at S and best shown in Fig. 3. Vertically extending fixed supports 35a and 35?) project upwardly from the sub-frame and support between them a pin E l which serves as a hanger for the stock straightening mechanism S. The stock straightening mechanism includes a pair of longitudinally extending bars 3i which are secured on each side of a grooved stockreceiving member A pair of vertically disposed hangers 33 are secured by welding as at 3301- to the hat sides of the longitudinal mem bers 3i and said hangers are pivotally and slidably mounted at their upper ends on the pin 34. This arrangement provides that the longitudinally extending assembly 3l-32 may be swung pivotally about the axis of pin 34 within limits and may slide transversely parallel to the axis of pin 3 so that the grooved member 32 may be disposed beneath the free end of the outside convolution of the stock coil. Thus, the position of the assembly S may be adjusted to accommodate stock coils of various axial extent.

The stock straightening mechanism includes a clamp and toggle arrangement so that the free end of the stock may be gripped in the grooved member 32. The clamp comprises a bell crank 42 which is pivotally supported, as at 53, on brackets Mia secured to the outer faces of the bars 3!. One end of the bell crank 42 is arranged to bear against the upper side of the free end of the stock coil and the other end of the bell crank is pivoted to toggle link 48. The complementary toggle links ll are pivoted to the links 40 at one end and to the members 3| at the other. The toggle arrangement 49Gl is such that when the links approach a dead center position the bell crank 4-2 exerts a clamping action on' the 4 free end of the stock. The toggle links it-4| are moved to and from their clamping position by a double-acting hydraulic cylinder 3%.

With the parts arranged in position as shown in Fig. 3, the piston rod 39 is moved to the left by the hydraulic cylinder 36 so as to straighten the toggle and clamp the free end of the stock down in the groove of the member 32. Thereafter the hydraulic cylinder [3 for the carriage C is operated so as to move the carriage and the stock carried thereby to a dotted line position as shown. This causes the first turn of the coil of stock to unwind and to be partially straightened by following the grooved member 32. Thereafter the entire stock straightening assembly S may be swung bodily about the pivot 3 in a clockwise direction so as to bend the unsupported portion of the stock about the curved end 32a of the member 32. To eifect the bodily swinging of the stock straightening mechanism, hydraulic cylinder 3? is employed. Cylinder 3? has one end thereof pivoted, as at 38, to a bracket 33a and the other end pivoted to the depending hangers 33. Upon actuation of the cylinder 31 in one direction, the piston rod Mi, pushing through the pivotal connection (i3, rocks the straightening mechanism S in a clockwise direction about the pivot point 34. After the free end of the stock is bent slightly about the end portion 32a, the cylinder 35 may be operated to move the piston rod 38 thereof in an opposite direction so as to release the toggle and clamp 12 and the cylinder 31 operated to rock the assembly S in a counterclockwise direction, restoring it to the full line position shown. The straightened free end may then be swung upwardly and in a counter-clockwise direction with respect to the drum shaft 22 so that the free end projects away from the stock straightening mechanism S and is tangent to the upper side of the stock coil W-i.

The pivoted stock supporting table 26 is adapted to be turned with respect to the pedestal l2 and the pedestal table has a. pair of tapered apertures 3&0 spaced degrees from each other adapted to receive a tapered latch pin 28-29. After the end of the stock has been straightened as above described, the latch 28 is withdrawn and the stock table turned on the pintle Zi'ia so as to dispose the straightened end of the stock on the opposite side of the frame. A coil of stock with the end thereof thus straightened is illustrated as at W in Fig. 1.

A stock gripping assembly, indicated generally as at 6%, is fixed on the carriage platform l8 substantially in alignment with the opening in the header that is to use the stock. The stock gripping head is vertically adjustable by means of the jack screw 6l-G2 and the upper end of the jack screw is provided with a pin 66 to provide for a limited pivotal movement of the grip head 65. The grip head is open at one side and includes a grooved member ii on the upper overhanging portion and a spring pressed grooved member "i2 therebeneath. This arrangement provides that the straightened portion of the stock, indicated in Fig. 2 as Vii-3, may be swung laterally, by reason of the flexibility of the stock, into the grip head between the grooved portions ii and T2. The grip head is provided with a hydraulic jack [5 arranged to bear against the under side of the member 12 and a flexible hydraulic line it runs from the hydraulic jack 15 to the pedal-operated hydraulic pump it. This arrangement provides that operation by the foot pedal T! of the pump 76 force hydraulic fluid into the jack l5 and thus clamps the stock W-3' firmly between the members 12 and 1|. The pump 16 also includes a release lever 19 so as to release the hydraulic pressure in the pump 15.

With the straightened stock W-3 firmly gripped in the grip head 65, the worm segment 61 carried by the lower side of the grip head is moved by the worm 68 and the crank handle so as to rock the grip head about the pivot 66 and bring the free end of the stock into proper lateral alignment with the stock opening in the header. Appropriate vertical adjustment may be made by the jack screw 606l62 so that the straightened stock W-3 may be accurately lined up with the stock feed mechanism in the header. The hydraulic cylinder 13 for the carriage C may then be operated so as to move the carriage toward the header and thus advance the straightened stock into the feed mechanism on the header. As soon as the free end portion W,3 of the stock i in position to be engaged by the feed mechanism on the header the hydraulic control for the carriage cylinder 13 may be moved to a neutral position and thus the feed mechanism on the header will, by pulling through the stock W-3, move the carriage toward the header. As the carriage approaches the end of its travel toward the header the release 19 on the hydraulic pump is operated so as to release the grip to the hydraulic jack 15. Thereafter the worm crank 70 may be operated so as to swing the worm gear sector 61 and thus swing the grip head bodily from and free of the stock. The stock may then be unreeled from its drum support in the usual manner by means of the feed mechanism in the header.

Before the stock coil W is fully unwound a new coil may be placed upon the empty drum on the other side of the carriage. The free end of the new coil may be gripped by the stock straightening clamp and the carriage operated to straighten the end of the new coil while the first coil is still being advanced into the header. In this way the apparatus provides a straightened free end that is ready for advance to the header as soon as the first coil is fully unwound and the time required to prepare a coil of stock for machine reduced over the prior art methods.

A control valve platform V is supported on the sub-frame above the gripping and bending cylinders 36 and 31 of the straightening apparatus. The valve V-l3 mounted on this platform is provided with an operating handle 56 and lines Ba and I317. The line 13a leads to the left-hand end of the carriagecylinder l3 and the line l3b leads to the right-hand end of the cylinder I3;

A control valve V-31 is provided for the bending cylinder 31 and includes a line 3101. going to the left-hand end of the cylinder 31 and a line 3'") going to the right-hand end of the cylinder 31. A similar valve V-36 is provided for the grip cylinder 36 and this is provided with a line 36: going to the left-hand end of the grip cylinder and a line 36b going to the right-hand end of the grip cylinder. The hydraulic system includes a fluid reservoir 53 disposed between transverse frame members at the right-hand end of the frame, a motor 50 and hydraulic pumps 5I52. When the motor 50 is energized, hydraulic fluid under pressure is directed to the valves V-l3, V-36 and V41, and the handles of the valve 56, 54 and 55, respectively, may be operated so as to direct the flow to either end of the actuating cylinders or to place the valve in a neutral position.

Although one form of the invention is shown 6 and described in considerable detail, it will be appreciated that numerous changes may be made therein within the scope of the invention defined in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for straightening coil stock comprising a frame, stock support means mounted on said frame for rotatably supporting a coil of stock, a rigid straightening member formed with an elongated surface pivotally mounted on said frame adjacent to a coil of stock on said stock support means, a clamp on said member for clamping said stock to said surface, actuator means operably connecting said stock support members and said frame arranged to cause relative movement thereof thereby uncoiling a portion of said stock, and operating means operably connecting said member and frame adapted to rotate said member around said pivot into engagement with said portion of stock thereby straightening said portion of stock along said surface.

2. An apparatus for straightening coil stock comprising a frame, stock support means mounted on said frame for rotatably supporting a coil of stock, a rigid straightening member formed with an elongated surface pivotally mounted on said frame beneath a coil of stock on said stock support means, a clamp on said member for clamping the free end of said stock to said surface, actuator means operably connecting said stock support members and said frame arranged to cause relative movement thereof thereby uncoiling a portion of said stock above said member, and operating means operably connecting said member and frame adapted to rotate said member around said pivot into engagement with said portion of stock thereby straightening said portion of stock along said surface.

3. An apparatus for straightening coil stock comprising a frame, stock support means mounted on said frame for rotatably supporting a coil of stock, a rigid straightening member formed with an elongated surface pivotally mounted on said frame substantially tangent to a coil of stock on said stock support means, a clamp on said member for clamping the free end of said stock to said surface, first fluid motor means operably connecting said stock support members and said frame arranged to cause relative movement thereof thereby moving said coil beyond said member uncoiling a portion of said stock adjacent to said member and second fluid motor means operably connecting said member and frame adapted to rotate said member around said pivot into engagement with said portion of stock thereby straightening said portion of stock.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

